The 19th stage of the Tour de France was shortened on Friday after cows infected by a contagious disease were culled in an area along the mountainous route. The stage from Albertville to La Plagne was meant to be 80.5 miles long but it was trimmed to 57.7 miles, according to the official Tour website's stage map on Friday. Race organizer ASO said two of the five climbs were removed, including the 13.7 kilometer Col des Saisies—where an outbreak of nodular dermatitis affected a herd of cows, race organizer ASO said.
"The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis (lumpy skin) affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies necessitated the culling of the animals," ASO said in a statement. "Given the consternation of the breeders concerned, and in order to maintain the calm of the race, it was decided, in agreement with the authorities, to modify the route of the 19th stage and not to cross the Col des Saisies." The disease, a viral skin infection, doesn't affect humans but it spreads quickly between herds and can cause a lot of hardship for farmers, Cycling Weekly reports.
Three-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia led overall heading into the stage, with two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark 4 minutes, 26 seconds behind him in second place. Stage 19 represented Vingegaard's last realistic chance of overtaking Pogacar and taking the yellow jersey, with the race finishing on Sunday.
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